NT prices will be steady, thanks to solar.Contracts with Northern Territory (NT) electricity retailer Jacana Energy may breathe new life into the 25 MW Katherine solar farm coupled with a 6 MW battery, and the 10 MW-each Batchelor and Manton Dam solar farms, which have been idle for years.
The restated contracts with Italian clean electricity company Plenitude, a subsidiary of oil giant Eni, will see Jacana access 45 MW of solar power to provide reliable clean energy to its customers, for the next decade.
Each of the solar farms at Katherine and Batchelor are now exporting substantial amounts of electricity to the grid as Plenitude works through the remaining challenges to achieve full export levels and also bring Manton Dam to export.
Hayes added that Jacana is focused on lowering the total costs of the energy system and it can make considerable savings in wholesale energy costs through the renewable energy contracts, including the costs of services required to ensure grid stability.
ENI purchased the Katherine Solar Farm in February 2019 from joint venture Australian developer Epuron and UK-based Island Green Power confirming it would be co-located with a 5.7 MVA / 2.9 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS).
